Guided Functional Re-Engineering of the Mitral Valve Leaflets

Introduction: Mitral valve regurgitation represents the second major valvular disorder in the western world, whereas current strategies for mitral valve reconstruction are imperfect. The aim of this study was to develop a tissue engineered substitute for mitral valve leaflet reconstruction using acellular porcine pericardium seeded with porcine mesenchymal stem cells (pMSCs). Methods: Porcine pericardial scaffolds were decellularised as described previously. pMSCs were cultured on the mesothelial sur-face of the scaffolds (3 cm diameter) under static conditions, using 3 different cell densities (2 × 104, 1 × 105…